


Money Troubles

by Polyhexian



Series: Humanformers: The Music AU [64]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Humanformers, Multi, POV Third Person, drug mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:27:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26899678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polyhexian/pseuds/Polyhexian
Summary: Rewind confronts Chromedome about some weird withdrawals.
Relationships: Brainstorm/Chromedome/Rewind (Transformers)
Series: Humanformers: The Music AU [64]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859230
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	Money Troubles

Brainstorm eyed Rewind with a frown as the shorter man paced back and forth in the living room, clearly upset about something. Brainstorm was finishing up lunch before heading into his afternoon lecture, but he was finding it difficult to focus on his sandwich when Rewind was so obviously worked up about something.

"Do you wanna talk about something?" Brainstorm inquired, and Rewind stopped pacing.

"No," he answered, sounding bitter, "But I have to anyway."

"Well that sounds ominous," Brainstorm commented, "Are you alright?" 

" _I'm_ fine," Rewind spat, " _Chromedome_ is in trouble."

Brainstorm straightened up. "What? What happened?"

They both looked at the door when they heard the sound of a key in the lock. When it opened and Chromedome stepped inside and saw he was being stared at he froze and looked between them, confused, before he settled on Rewind.

"What?" he asked, shutting the door. 

"Is there anything you want to _tell_ me?" Rewind asked, setting his hands on his hips. 

Chromedome blinked. "Uh," he started, "I'm sorry I didn't run the laundry this morning?" 

"Really?" Rewind scoffed, "That's all you have to say to me?" 

"Yes?" 

Rewind stared at him for a moment accusingly. "Roll up your sleeves." 

Chromedome's whole posture shifted into anger. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious," Rewind crossed his arms, "Roll up your sleeves."

"You have known about every lapse in judgement I've had within six hours for the last two years," Chromedome snapped, yanking up his sleeves and holding out his arms wrists up to show clean insides of his elbows, "Have I not earned any credit with you whatsoever?"

"No!" Rewind scoffed, inspecting the unbroken skin, "I love you, Chromedome, but I do _not_ trust you."

Chromedome yanked his arms away and held them back by his sides indignantly. "Good to know."

"I was looking at my bank statement this morning," Rewind said, "There's two or three cash withdrawals of a hundred dollars a week going back months, and for the life of me, I can't figure out what that money has been going to."

Chromedome's eyes widened. "Are you accusing me of _stealing?_ "

"It wouldn't be the first time!" 

"Not true! I _never_ spent your money on drugs, it was _my_ money!" 

"You don't have any money anymore!" Rewind yelled, "What else could you need nearly ten _grand_ in cash for, Chromedome?!"

"You think I've been on methamphetamines for _months?!_ " Chromedome cried, "Do you really think you wouldn't have _noticed_ by now?!"

"Hard to say, you've been pretty good at lying to me before!" 

"I can't believe you!" Chromedome exclaimed, eyes moist, "I didn't take that money and I'm definitely not using again!"

"Why don't I believe you, then?" Rewind hissed.

"I took it."

Rewind and Chromedome both stopped and looked over at Brainstorm who had stood up, his expression blank. 

"What?" asked Rewind after a moment.

"The money," Brainstorm clarified, "I took it out of the joint account." 

Rewind blinked. "Why?"

Brainstorm pushed his chair back in and walked to the coatrack to grab his jacket. "I didn't steal it. I'm well within my allowance."

"That's- I mean I don't care about the money," Rewind said, confused, "I just don't know what you've been _doing_ with it."

"Not drugs," Brainstorm replied, grabbing his briefcase, "I'm late for a lecture. I have to go."

"What?" Rewind balked, but Brainstorm simply opened the door and left, leaving him and Chromedome alone.

"You know," said Chromedome after a moment of silence, "I think I have somewhere else to be, too." 

"Dammit, Domey, I-" 

Chromedome left before he could finish.

Alone in his living room Rewind groaned, letting his face sink miserably into his hands. "Dammit."

* * *

Chromedome had spent most of the afternoon drinking coffee and feeling sorry for himself. He really hadn't had anywhere to go but he hadn't wanted to go home, and spending three hours sulking in a Starbucks had not been his plan for the day.

At the same time his gut was twisted up and his heart hurt and every time he thought about going back home his eyes watered. He'd been sober for a year, and not once since the break in had he failed to tell Rewind if he fucked up. He'd really thought that he'd earned at least a little of his trust back. Maybe he never would.

By the time he went back home he'd grown weary of anger and mostly just felt sad.

Chromedome could hear the stove fan going when he stepped inside and the telltale sound of something frying. It smelled like pork cutlets.

"Domey, is that you?" Rewind's voice came floating out of the kitchen.

"Yeah," said Chromedome, "It's me."

"Come here. I got you something."

Chromedome shucked off his coat and walked into the kitchen. Rewind scooped a cutlet out of the pan and dropped it onto a waiting plate, then turned off the burner and grabbed a grocery store cake from beside the stove and turned around to stand in front of him.

 _Sorry I'm an asshole_ , read the cake in wobbly handwriting. 

Chromedome's lips twitched toward a smile despite himself. "Do I get to smack it all over the floor?"

"I will clean it up," Rewind confirmed, hanging his head, "I'm sorry."

Chromedome pretended to think very hard about it for a moment, before he took the cake gently from Rewind's hands and put it back on the counter. "I'd much rather eat it for once, I think." He grabbed Rewind's hands now that they were floating anxiously between them and held them. "Thanks."

"I'm sorry, Domey," Rewind said, still staring at the floor, "I was out of line. You're right. You've given me every reason to trust you and I should have."

"I've worked so hard to be good," Chromedome said softly, "It hurts that it's not enough. You could have just asked me."

"I should have just asked you," Rewind echoed, "It's enough. From now on when you say you're clean, I'll trust you. I promise."

"The last time I lied to you I almost lost you because of it," Chromedome said, squeezing his hands, "I promised." 

"You did," Rewind nodded, "And you kept that promise. I'm the asshole this time."

"It's okay," Chromedome replied, tilting his chin up, "It's usually me." Rewind smiled and then leaned up to kiss him, tension melting from his shoulders as he did. 

"Are we good?" Rewind asked, pulling away.

"We're good," Chromedome replied, "I love you." 

"I love you, too," Rewind mirrored, "I made pork cutlets. I know you love pork cutlets."

"Yeah, I could smell them. You know I love a good bribe."

"Who _doesn't_ love a good bribe?" Rewind smiled, and then paused. "Do you think Brainstorm's alright? He was so upset when he left." 

"I don't know," Chromedome admitted, "He's definitely hiding something."

"It really is almost ten grand," Rewind told him, "I'm worried about him. I can't think of anything he might be doing with that much money."

Chromedome hesitated and then sighed. "I think I have a guess."

* * *

It was late when the front door opened again. Brainstorm shrugged out of his coat but didn't bother turning the light on. He didn't notice Rewind camped out on the couch until he had passed him and the other man stood up.

"Stormy," Rewind said, stopping him, "Are you okay?" 

"Uh-huh," said Brainstorm, though his tightly controlled tone and body language betrayed him, "Just hungry."

"I bet," said Rewind gently, "It's late. You missed dinner."

"I had work to catch up on," Brainstorm mumbled. 

"I saved you some if you want to heat it up. I made pork cutlets."

Brainstorm twitched. "Apologized to CD then?"

"Yeah."

Brainstorm shifted his weight and glanced back at Rewind and then away again. "Good. He didn't do anything wrong."

"Neither did you," Rewind said, taking another step toward him.

"Right," Brainstorm murmured as Rewind put a hand on his back. 

"You've been putting it in another bank account, haven't you?" Rewind asked.

Brainstorm flinched. "Is it that obvious?"

"Domey figured," Rewind sighed, "I'm not mad."

"You should be." Brainstorm shoved his hands into his pockets. "It's my safety net."

"In case of what?" Rewind prompted, "We break up?"

"We break up, yeah, or you go missing, or die," Brainstorm shrugged, looking away and trying and failing to play it cool, "You never know what's going to happen." 

Rewind regarded him carefully for a moment. "You know I'm not upset at you for having abandonment issues, right? I don't take it personally."

"It's not just that," Brainstorm said, kneading his hands together anxiously, "Have you ever been hungry? Like, _really_ hungry?" He glanced down at his palms. "Like, haven't eaten in two days and you know you won't today either hungry? Like every day you have no idea where your next meal is going to come from or if it will exist at all hungry? I can't do that again. I can't ever do that again." 

"I would never want you to." Rewind pulled his hand away from his back, drew something out of his pocket and held it out to him. "Here."

Brainstorm turned and looked at the folded paper before taking it and opening the check to see _$100,000_ on the dollar line. He looked back up at Rewind in confusion.

"If that's what you need to feel safe, then just take it," Rewind told him, "You don't have to keep it secret. I don't want you to worry about what's going to happen to you anymore."

Brainstorm stared at the check until his hands shook and he sniffled and held it back. "I can't take this." 

"This isn't a test, Stormy," Rewind insisted, "I don't want you not to take it to prove something." He folded a hand over Brainstorm's, closing his fingers around the paper. "I want you to go put it in your personal account and wake up every day and know that no matter what happens, you're going to be alright. Okay?" 

Brainstorm sniffled again and wiped his eyes with his free hand. "Okay." 

Rewind pulled him into a hug. "See? No worries." 

"Thank you," Brainstorm hiccuped, overcome by emotion, "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Rewind reassured him, "Come on. Let's go reheat you some dinner. Okay?"

"Okay," Brainstorm agreed, and let Rewind usher him into the kitchen. He frowned at something on the counter. "What on earth did you write on this cake that it just says 'ass' now?"


End file.
